Category Archives: European

Konnigans

August 22, 2015 Fork & Talk Leave a comment

Brunch, our loved meal on a day off. I have been attempting to explore Battersea more as I get into the grove of working in the area. My friend Adam kindly offered to show me the brunch places on offer in the Wandsworth area and I was shocked to see a whole street dedicated to brunching.

Konnigans can be found on Old York Rd with a whole host of other delicious dines. Konnigans classes itself as being a contemporary British restaurant so in other words a bit of everything, eclectic.

I fell in love with the old cluttered interior of Konnigans. It reminds me of an old English country kitchen with lots of different nook and crannies to sit in.

The drinks menu ranges from naughty shakes to English beers to cocktails. Naturally I refused them all and asked for a glass of prosecco. I think my friend slightly disapproved at the fact I was drinking at three in the afternoon but I used my common excuse of ‘I’m on holiday’.

I went for the eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and it was lovely, perfectly cooked egg on a soft brioche bun, you know how much I love my brioche buns. Strangely it came with a side of fries and a grilled tomato. I wasn’t going to complain as the chips were amazing. More please.

My friend went for a mammoth chicken, avo, bacon and Brie salad. There was no way that it was a light salad at all. I was slightly jealous.

Konnigans is such a cosy place that we just sat there for hours chilling. Parking is amazing in the area as it is free past 4:30pm so great for an after work hang out.

I can not wait to come back to this place but also come back to this street, what an amazing find.

Konnigans
344 – 346 Old York road
SW18
http://www.konnigansrestaurant.co.uk/

European, Seafood

The Oyster Shed

August 13, 2015 Fork & Talk Leave a comment

I work just across the river from Oyster Shed and every Thursday and Friday I observe large gatherings of people spilling out of the pub onto the Thames river bank. It surely looked like a fun place to be, so one day I finally made a table booking and went there with two girlfriends for after work dinner and drinks.

We sat at a dinner table on the mezzanine level, which gave us pretty views of the river and the bar downstairs. Carefully booked for sunset time, we enjoyed sipping Prosecco while watching the colour of the sky change from yellow to pink and finally deep burgundy. The decor of the place has an eclectic nautical theme. Tables are nicely spaced out with some long wooden benches and more private cosy corners.

Since we found ourselves in a place called Oyster Shed it would have been silly not to try their oysters. Half a dozen makes a perfect starter! They were served with classic garnish of shallots in red wine vinaigrette and a wedge of lemon. Although meaty and with good flavor, I wish the chef taken greater care when shucking them, as I constantly felt small pieces of shells in my mouth.

Flushed down with another glass of Prosecco we moved onto our mains. I ordered grilled salmon, which was perfect. It came with just enough potatoes and veg n the side so you didn’t feel like you’ve just stuffed your face.

Desserts is always the highlight of any get together with girlfriends and this one was no exception. Eton Mess with berries – gorgeous! And chocolate fondant of course…!!!

The Oyster Shed
1 Angel Lane, London EC4R 3AB

English, European, Italian

Caravan

July 16, 2015 Fork & Talk Leave a comment

We ended up dining at Caravel by mistake, we were on our way to Dishoom around the corner but were told that there is a hefty 2 hour wait for the table. In search of a place with a more reasonable waiting time we found our selves at the doors of Caravan. Popped our names on the list and went straight to the bar.

By that point I was really hungry and it felt like eternity for barman to even notice us, only to be told that he is unable to serve us cocktails since we will be taking them outside. Our only choice was to pay £6 for a small glass of prosecco served in a plastic cup, go outside and wait for the table.

Baking in the evening sun with sound of fountains behind our backs we spent almost an hour watching other people waiting for their tables. Caravan is surely a popular place! Located in the new built Granary square it is a meeting point for the hip and cool crowd. Half of which are students from the near by Art’s college, other half is young professionals who came to chill by the canal after work.

Once we stay down we swiftly decided what we were going to devour, however the restaurant was so busy that it took us a while to catch waiters attention. First to place our order, then to ask for some tap water, then to order more drinks and finally to ask for a missing fork…. what a mission!

I almost never let bad service overshadow experience of eating out, i think the food is still the main reason we go to restaurants. But at the Caravan it was so bad that it almost made no sense to queue for an hour only to wait some more to catch waiters attention.

One thing I couldn’t fault was of course the food.

For starter we had soft shell hairy crab – absolutely delicious. For mains we couldn’t resist pizza, and my was that a great choice. Unlike Pizza East these babies had been covered with sauce from end to end.

A little something sweet had to be chocolate tart with chili and basil ice-cream. I loved the taste of all of these elements separately but at first wasn’t too sure about the combination of flavors. But after a few spoonfuls i was totally hooked and almost licked the plate clean.

All and all if you are not bothered by the waiting and the service then definitely do give Caravan a try as they are delicious!

CARAVAN
Granary Building, 1 Granary square,
London N1C 4AA
http://www.caravankingscross.co.uk

European

Zurich: Uto Kulm Restaurant

March 22, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

It was a very hot day in late July and I have just spent an hour and half trekking up Uetliberg mountain in flip flops. This was not by choice, as I unfortunately got off the wrong train stop and without google maps found myself in deep forest looking for a way out. To my delight I finally saw people and came to this stunning view of Zurich. Quite a reward for pain endured getting there!

Looking for a place to rest I came across Uto Kulm restaurant with the most magnificent terrace overlooking Zurich, the Alps and the lake. Serving the best of the seasonal food, I ordered the perfect starter to cool off with – cucumber soup. Served cold and zesty, this is the perfect refreshment. It was so delicious I wiped the plate clean, swiftly moving onto beef carpaccio on toast. Amazing topping for toast, don’t you think?

And mozzarella salad with mushroom soup in a shot glass. As a self confessed mushroom lover this really tickled my fancy. And look at the presentation, food was fighting for spot in the limelight with the scenery!

For main course I opted for grilled sea bream, which was perfectly cooked and garnished by steamed veg and spinach. Really simple dish, well seasoned. I felt that portions were very well sized, you could see that the chef had thought about nutrition as well as looks, serving each food group in it’s appropriate portion size.

At the end of my stunning meal at Uto Kult restaurant, I climbed the viewing tower, for even more breathtaking views of Zurich.

All and all this restaurant definitely has the wow factor and its not because it’s on top of the mountain. Food was top notch, atmosphere – lovely. I am definitely going to come back should I be in Zurich again!